March 6, 2008

By Adam Lucas

Like the rest of his teammates, E.J. Wilson will go through his first 2008 spring practice day in pads this afternoon.

Unlike the rest of his teammates, he will have already endured one major test earlier in the day before ever putting on those pads.

Wilson, a rising junior, plans to be a physical therapist--his mother used to be a nurse and an uncle and a close family friend work in physical therapy--when he finishes his football career. That means his class schedule can have some unusual entries. Last semester, he took biology. This year, he's enrolled in anatomy.

"So far, anatomy has been my toughest class at Carolina," he says. "Biology was pretty tough, but I made it through. Anatomy is interesting stuff, but that first test in a class is always rough."

Of course, tough is a relative word for Wilson. He carried a 4.2 GPA at Brunswick High in Lawrenceville, Va., and finished his high school career ranked third in his class. He was equally proficient on the football field, making the all-conference team as both wide receiver and defensive back. He racked up at least two 100-yard games at every offensive position he played, including tight end, receiver, and running back.

Although he was a lifelong Virginia Tech fan, he fell in love with Chapel Hill on his visit. It looked like his offensive exploits might continue in college, as he spent some time at both tight end and fullback. But a well-timed move to defensive end in 2006 has paid major dividends, and he finished 2007 tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (9.5) and second in sacks (5.0).

Those numbers were produced with opposing offenses keying on fellow defensive linemen Kentwan Balmer and Hilee Taylor. As a junior, Wilson will need to be a key part of a rebuilt line.

"He's a guy who needs to be a legitimate, significant player for us this fall," Butch Davis says. "I've seen a little bit of a change in attitude. I think he sees that with Kentwan being gone and Hilee being gone and Kyndraus (Guy), it was easy for those guys to pass the torch and say, `You guys be the leaders...'

"Now that you've cleaned that room out with those three guys being gone, now you're looking for other guys to step up. He's the first guy in line a lot of times for doing individual drills. He's a little more vocal on the field than he was last year, so I think those are positive signs."

Wilson realizes he'll receive more attention in 2008. And while line play will be a training camp question mark--a handful of the latest signing class could see snaps immediately--he's optimistic about the returning group that includes Marvin Austin, Tydreke Powell, Aleric Mullins, Cam Thomas and Tavares Brown.

"Even though I'm not a senior, I'm one of the older guys on the d-line," he says. "Cam (Thomas), Al, and Tavares...we've been through it. We're the old guys, so we have to step up and be leaders. It may be a little harder for me without Kentwan and Hilee. But if other teams focus on me, I've got three other freaks coming with me, and that'll be trouble for them."

Davis says he likes spring practice to be a time of experimentation; a time for cornerbacks to learn how tightly they can press a receiver without being burned or quarterbacks to discover how small a window they need to complete a pass.

Wilson is using part of his spring to experiment with rushing the passer from a stand-up, outside linebacker position in Carolina's third-down packages. It may not come naturally, but that's normal for the future physical therapist.

"I've never wanted to do anything easy in the classroom or on the field," he says. "If it's not challenging, I get bored with it."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.